Preparatory to ice fishing it is necessary for the fisherman to bore or chop an opening through ice on the surface of a body of water. If the opening is chopped, the edges of the opening quite often are irregular or rough. If the opening is bored, that portion of the opening above the water level (usually about four inches) becomes rough due to splashing and freezing of water within the opening. In either event, the rough edges often result in loss of a hooked fish when it is attempted to raise the fish through the opening.
After an opening has been formed in a layer of ice, it is customary for a fisherman to return periodically to the site of the opening. Quite often, however, water contained in the opening refreezes, thereby necessitating rechopping or reboring of the opening. In these operations ice removed from the opening often is deposited on the surface on the ice adjacent the opening, thereby resulting in the formation of a mound or rim about the periphery of the opening. This, in effect, increases the thickness of the ice, thereby increasing the opportunity for loss of a hooked fish.
When the formation of an opening in a layer of ice has been completed and the fisherman is fishing through the opening, it is not uncommon for snow to be blown into the opening by the wind. This results in a slushy accumulation of snow and ice in the opening, thereby promoting freezing of the water in the opening.
An object of this invention is to provide a liner for an ice fishing opening formed in a layer of ice and which to a large extent minimizes the characteristics referred to above.